July 9, 2026, 3:30 p.m. ET
Before you consider any predictions for the 2026 NFL season seriously, keep in mind that at this point in time, nobody has a clue what’s going to happen when the games actually begin.
Last summer, the Seattle Seahawks had amongst the worst odds to win the Super Bowl—and nobody considered them as a real heavyweight. Well, we all know how that turned out.
So, while the Carolina Panthers may seem far from contending right now, we definitely can’t rule it out. According to Stacey Mickles at Touchdown Wire, the reigning NFC South champs are one of four Super Bowl sleepers around the NFC.
Mickles writes:
The Carolina Panthers came out of nowhere last year to not only win their division but also make the playoffs and almost knock off the Los Angeles Rams. We finally saw Bryce Young emerge as the leader of this team and look like the Bryce Young we saw at Alabama. The defense also stepped up at times, but it was the Panthers’ offense that carried this team, and it would not be shocking if they win this division again and make some noise.
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The Panthers may have only won eight games last season and their offensive production was underwhelming, but quarterback Bryce Young has taken strides under center. Their defense may also develop into one of the top units in the league, and could benefit from playing in the weakest division in football.
Realistically, Carolina’s ceiling is likely the divisional round. That would be a slight improvement from this past January, where they nearly knocked off the stacked Rams in the wild-card round.
That said, anything can happen in the NFL—and you can’t count anybody out in July.
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